The Hula Hoopsters!!!

Check out my kids' skills with their new hula hoops.

15 ER Visits (At Least That I Can Remember)...

Not quite sure of the exact order, but here they are:

1. Luke fell off the bed while sleeping.  Someone else was "watching him" (I mean talking on the phone with her boyfriend), and I was on the roof cleaning out my mom's gutters.  Matt was in trial and unable to be reached.  I waited several LONG hours at the Houston ER and Luke turned out to be just fine.
2. I tried putting Luke on my shoulders so he could dunk a basketball, and he fell off  onto the concrete driveway.  I was 8 months pregnant so this was not a wise move by mommy as my balance was a bit off.  Matt met me at the ER and Luke turned out to be fine.   
3. Luke stuck his finger in the oven vent and pulled it out resulting in 3 stitches.  Matt and I both took him into the ER.  They had to papoose him---too bad we didn't realize until after the stitches were in that there was a TV in the room.  It really would have distracted Luke!  
4. Luke ran into a sock display which cut his eye in the San Marcos outlet center.  Matt and I took him to the San Marcos ER and waited an extremely long time.  He was fine.   
5. Lauren was playing on the old bleachers at one of my soccer games.  A piece of wood about 3 inches long went into her hand.  I was playing soccer and had no idea any of this happened and that Matt had taken all 3 kids to the ER.  I was celebrating with my soccer team at Mexicali when I finally checked my voice mail.  The doctor got it out, no stitches needed.  I made it to the ER when Lauren was eating her popsicle and ready to go home.
6. Matt was extremely dehydrated due to a stomach bug.   Our friend Hite came over to watch the kids so that I could take him into the ER for an IV.
7. Kyle was trying on some of Lauren's underwear and tripped and fell and hit is head on the corner of a dresser.  Dermabond was used.  Our neighbor had to come over to watch the kids because Daddy was out of town.
8. Kyle cut his lip as he was walking on a pillow--an obstacle course our 6 year old had designed.  He received three stitches in the lip.  Daddy was hunting and he made it back to the ER just in time for the sedation.
9. I cut the top of my hand with a razor blade trying to change out the razor while scraping overspray off our living room windows.  I received three stitches and walked home from the Presbyterian ER.
10. Luke cut open his knee while playing football with a friend in our back yard.  He did "recover the football and run it back for a touchdown" before coming inside screaming his head off.  He received 5 stitches.  Matt was out of town, and the mom and 3 kids I had coming over for pizza that night ended up watching my other 2 kids for me.  Matt made it to the ER after the stitches were put in.
11. The day before Luke was to get his 5 stitches removed, he fell on his knee playing soccer with Daddy on Thanksgiving Day.  Matt and I missed the Thanksgiving Feast at my grandmoms so we could take him to the ER.  The doctor removed the 5 old stitches and put in 6 new ones.  Another 3 weeks of missing PE and recess for Luke in Kindergarten. What a bummer.
12. Lauren threw a red metal chair from the top of the fort in our back yard.  The chair landed right on Kyle's forehead---4 stitches.  I got all but one out so we had to call our Pediatrician to come up on his day off to take out the final stitch.
13. Lauren went to the ER in Tyler while we were at Family Camp because of what we thought might be an appendicitis, which actually turned out to be CONSTIPATION.  Matt took her while I stayed back at camp with the boys.
14. Our rollover incident off I-45 on July 26, 2008.  Lauren received 2 stitches (I really think she could have used a few more), and Luke was X-rayed for neck pain.  He was fine.  
15. I was tripped in my soccer game.  She hit me again in the air as I was attempting to roll out of it.  I landed straight down on my head and jammed my neck.  She did receive a YELLOW CARD!  It has taken me 3 weeks to heal, and I am still not 100%.  I went to the ER to make sure I didn't brake anything---thankfully, it was just muscle related.  Here I am icing my back after I was tripped.  We did win the game 3-1. 
    

Now here are some other Moran Clan injuries which thankfully did NOT result in a trip to the ER:

• Matt pulled his hamstring, but I still talked him into riding the MS 150 with me anyway.
• Kyle was stung by a bee in his friend's backyard.  He still played in his soccer game using his one good eye and really never complained.

The Lost Tooth!

It is amazing what will happen to one's front tooth when you bite a friend on the back because he won't give you the football.  Sorry CP!  I guess the question is---should the tooth fairy really even come?

Please Buckle Up!

It was July 26th, 2008.  We were headed back from Fairfield, TX,  to Dallas, driving North on I-45 just ouside of Ennis, to have dinner with some of our friends.  The kids were listening to a book on tape, I was driving, and Matt was sleeping in the passenger seat.  Lauren was in the far back passenger side of our 2003 white Suburban, Kyle was in the third row driver side, and Luke was sitting directly behind me in the second row.  The next thing I knew there was a dark SUV no more than 6 inches in front of me.  Knowing there was nothing I could do at this moment, we hit the back of the SUV, and I immediately started praying in my head over and over, "Lord keep us safe, Lord keep us safe...."  

We did a complete side flip in the air, hit the ground and rolled our Suburban two more times down the side of the embankment off I-45.  We landed wheels down and two men were immediately standing at my window.  All of our children were buckled and in car seats.  Matt obviously was awake now, and he surveyed the kids.  All of us were miraculously alive.  Luke had scratches and cuts all over the top of his feet from the window that shattered next to him, 

Lauren had a cut on her arm which resulted in 2 stitches that Matt wrapped up with a pillow case to help stop the bleeding,

and Kyle was completely unscathed. 

 

The two men at my window helped me climb out because the driver door wouldn't open.  They also helped us get our children out of the car.  Driving behind us at the time of the accident was a sweet couple who pastor the Cowboy Church off 45 in Ennis.  After seeing us fly through the air they immediately pulled over to help.  The wife held my crying daughter in her arms while I did my best to comfort our boys.   They helped us find our way down the hill, and were such a blessing to our family at this crazy moment in our lives.  They helped Matt find his glasses, gave us water and sat with my sweet children until the ambulance arrived. Knowing we could no longer drive our suburban due to its condition:

we opted to all take a ride in the ambulance which drove us to the Ennis Regional Medical Center.  Lauren received two stitches and Luke received X rays of his neck because he had neck pain.  Luke's X-rays turned out to be clear, yet another praise to God. As we were waiting in the ER (our 15th Moran family visit by the way) the couple from the Cowboy Church came by the hospital to see how we were doing.  They prayed for us, and we thanked them for being there for us.  

We called our friends to say we would NOT be coming for dinner as we were in the ER.  They asked if they could do anything for us and of course I said we were all fine.  I hung up the phone and 2 minutes later called them back to see if they could come pick us up in Ennis to take us back to Dallas.  Of course, they agreed---what great friends!  Matt and I were pretty sore for the next few weeks.  I thought I had glass in my head and saw the doctor a few days later, but it somehow seemed to have worked its way out.  I am truly thankful for the Lord protecting and keeping my family safe.  We never met or saw those in the dark SUV in front of us, but they too were OK.  So please, buckle up---even if it is just around the corner, or just down the street.  Please, buckle up.